A group of 36 students from Italy are in Kolkata for a fortnight to learn about the City of Joy's varied cultural landscape and harmony among the many communities living in the city.
Being hosted by Child in Need Institute (CINI), the youngsters are volunteering in various community activities and also interacting with children of slum areas in and around Kolkata.
Leoporido Louis, 22-year-old economics student from the Italian city of Verona, said that after reading French author Dominique Lapierre's heartwarming story in the "City of Joy", he always wanted to discover Kolkata.
"I am here to know the city, understand its culture, enrich my knowledge of India and share my experiences from Italy with the people here," he told PTI.
Describing Kolkata as the "city of extremes" where the haves and the haves-not co-exist peacefully, MA student Jonathan Gangbar, said, "In my city people have a very different lifestyle, so it is interesting to find how people live here".
Besides visiting Red Road to observe mass 'Namaz' on the occasion of Eid, the students from different colleges of Italy will also visit Hindu and Christian religious places to get a taste of India's secularism.
"They will see for themselves how people from different communities and religions live peacefully together here," said CINI founder-director Samir Chaudhuri. (MORE)
